Monday, May 21, 2007

Nifonged in Nicaragua: Volz Interview with LaPrensa

Recently, La Prensa, a Nicaraguan daily newspaper that had helped fuel the campaign to publicly condemn American Eric Volz in the weeks leading to his wrongfully conviction, published an interview with Volz on its front page. A translation of the interview appears below:

La Prensa: What was your Version of all of this?

Eric Volz: "It was a very hard blow that was influenced mostly by public opinion and this was caused by the mother of Doris, Doña Mercedes saying that she had been offered U$1 Million dollars so that she would not accuse me of the crime. My family tried to defend the case, but the media did not present it well. There was no offerings, it is illogical; My family said that Eric Volz is innocent, and they could not do anything more, I was accused and processed by the State of Nicaragua..."

La Prensa: Why do you believe that since the begining everything was against you before the judge, the police and the District attorney's Office?

Eric Volz: Señora Mercedes, the mother of Doris also gave me another very strong blow in the media when she left saying that she had a recording, of a phone call and she says that in that call she was speaking with the police, and that police, according to her version, said that Eric Volz had confessed to the crime, but then denied to say more about the statement. First, I ask if this is True, where is this declaration? and secondly, Why was this never presented to the District attorney's Office? And Thirdly, Why didn't this officer, or a high official of the Police of Rivas, present this information against me? This was very important because we saw a major change at this point, the family had a very strong opinion. It wasn't until I was under arrest, when the family began to come to public light and saying false things.

La Prensa What do you attribut this change to and were there signs subsequently?

Because an oficial of the Police told her that I confessed to the crime. Now they put the mother in a position where she has been hurt, hurt that she lost a child and this comes from a person of the police, an organism that we have confidence in; that they will maintain justice and they said that this fellow confessed, Here in this moment I was very vulnerable, but I believe that there was more to this.

La Prensa: Why could Eric Volz not be the author of the crime?

Eric Volz: Alright, Number 1: I was not in San Juan del Sur, the Tueday 21 of November, this was shown in the evidence, and we showed it clearly. Including the public and the same public prosecutor was surprised by the judgement. I have concrete witnesses, I have VERY concrete Evidence and no I do not have motives for the crime. I am not a jealous fellow. I am very good, I am not like this. There is another thing, when I was under arrest, the Police and the District attorney's Office had spoken with the media throwing me to the fire, they then did not even have a motive. They agreed to say that the crime was by jealousy, that it was a crime of passion.

La Prensa: The nail marks were evidence used against you?

Eric Volz: The Famous nail marks, good, number 1: They were not Nail Marks, nor were they scratches, they were bruised wounds and it is a very important specification.

La Prensa: What did the Forensic scientist say?

Eric Volz: The forensic scientist said that they are bruised wounds. They are not cuts. That are due to me bearing the coffin of Doris on my shoulder. We have investigated the coffins and that coffin can weigh upto 500 pounds. And generally it is held by 8 men and that day there were only 4 holding it and no more. It is also because I have white skin. Number 2: the photo that has is cut in which appeared in the judgement is not the same photo that the media used, Why did they cut it? because I have a bone that goes beyond the photo that was cut that is also very red, even purple which would make you understand the weight of the coffin...

La Prensa: You reject that they are scratches?

Eric Volz: The same public prosecutor is contradicted because the Police did not find anything under the nails of Doris, that is to say its a complete contradiction.

La Prensa: Can you speak of the voucher of the Auto Rental?

Eric Volz: I am a manager of a company and the manager does not always sign all of the papers, what I sign are always the vouchers that are financed by by credit card. A contract, or a reciept is signed by the manager of operations and this is what happened that day. What I did sign and presented to the judge was a voucher from Credomatic with the signature Eric Volz, I was occupied attending to people, my secretary knew that I was the only one to sign the vouchers of the credit card, but she signed it.

La Prensa: Why did Nelson López Danglas links you to the crime?

Eric Volz: I recall that he was one of the first people accused, and was imprisoned, the District attorney's Office accused him to have murdered Doris. I was not detained because of what the family said, or for what Danglas said; I was detained for a supposed declaration that Julio Martín Chamorro made and in this declaration he explained that he was in the store and and that Nelson Danglas was with him and the 2 of them made up the story that, Myself and Armando Llanes, violated and killed Doris, for this is why. In the Second audience we were all surprised when the Prosecutor let go Armando Llanes and Nelson Danglas, although Nelson is the one that had wounds on his penis and was misterious. eso sí es misterioso. What do you think is up with this? There is another thing, it has to do with the Police, in the investigation they had more evidence against Julio Martín Chamorro, but they did not present it. When Doris was killed she had something misterious of her cellular telephone, someone had robbed her cell, the police were looking for it, and they found the cellular and they had an informant that said that he had sold it in Rivas, the night of the death of Doris and it was sold by Julio Martín Chamorro. So I ask, if the Police had this evidence against Julio Martín why did they not link him directly with the store, because Julio Martin was not alone when he sold the phone López Danglas was with him when he sold the Cell of Doris...

La Prensa: To your Criteria this case was not investigated in depth by the Police or the Prosecutor?

Eric Volz: It is very complicated, I know that the Police did not do a good investigation, I I know that there is a very popular pizzeria next to the store of Doris and the Police did not carry out any interview with the people of the pizzeria, it was in the middle of the day when they said Doris was killed, it is logical to interview the people that were there.

La Prensa: How did you enter the crime?

Eric Volz: I recieved a call from a young lady that ironically was an enemy of Doris... Imediately Later I was advised by a better friend of Doris, she called me at 12:43 p.m, they have criticised me quite a bit also saying that I took a lot of time to get to San Juan del Sur. when they called me with this type of news that affected me.

La Prensa: What did they say?

Eric Volz: They told me that Doris had been hung... I was in shock, I unfortunately was attending to many people in my office...

I know that the same District attorney's Office says that there are 3 murderers, there are 2 that are in prison, I am innocent, so that means that there are 2 that are loose. It hurts me me to, it is very frustrating that the case is closed. I do not see justice. If I am able to leave here, if they give me liberty in the appeal that is approaching, I require, in the name of justice that the State process Nelson López Danglas for false testimony.

La Prensa: What do you think was the Motive?

Eric Volz: I have information that Julio Martín Chamorro was an admirer of Doris, he would go to the store frequently. Doris was a very pretty young lady, very inteligent and pursued by many men and there were many people jealous when I was with her.

La Prensa: You believe that there are people that wanted to see you out of the country and therefor involved you in this crime?

Eric Volz: Its possible, but I do not have any information confirming this, I don't think so

La Prensa: Suppose the appeal is not in your favor. Will you comply with the grief of the country?

Eric Volz: My personal opinion is that Judge Ivet Toruño was put in a very difficult situation, There was a lot of pressure on the part of the public. I believe that she condemned me because by the Court of Appeal I was going to have opportunity to leave... I have all the confidence in them, I I know that I am going to leave free.

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